The survey or assessment aspect of personalized vitamins can help to capture valuable information that might not be gathered in a standard medical office visit. Doctors will often take the time to discuss your specific vitamin needs. However, we know from experience, there is not always an opportunity to go through a detailed analysis of your diet and lifestyle at a routine visit.
Also, many doctors hesitate to make recommendations about vitamins because they are concerned about recommending products that are not FDA regulated and they cannot be certain you will take a well-made, quality brand. Sometimes physicians will check certain vitamin levels as part of your visit. But, these can be costly and often not necessary, since a detailed history will usually reveal what deficiencies you may have.
Unfortunately, our current medical system does not make this discussion an important part of our healthcare delivery. Our current model of health care tends to emphasize treating existing conditions with prescription medications rather than preventing them in the first place or using more natural remedies to treat problems.
Diet is not always the answer to holistic vitamin needs. While it is possible to get everything you need via diet, it is not probable that you do. For example, people who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables get many essential nutrients (e.g., vitamin A, vitamin C, etc.), but tend to eat less of certain other nutrients (like vitamin B12 and iron found in red meat).
Additionally, certain vitamins are hard to come by in most diets. Vitamin D3 is one such vitamin. It is only found in a few food sources at a significant levels, such as wild-caught salmon (not farm raised). Consider the iodine dilemma of the healthy eater. In avoiding processed foods and using natural sea salt or kosher salt, the healthy eater may be missing out on the recommended daily allowance of iodine (found in iodized salt)—which is essential for thyroid health and metabolism.
Vitamin personalized technologies recognize that consumer needs are not static. If your diet and lifestyle varies significantly from month to month or day to day, your needs will naturally change. You should reevaluate your daily vitamin routine at least every six to twelve months as your health and nutrient intake evolves. Likewise, certain days may call for extra boosts in certain vitamins. Taking an as-needed dose of certain nutrients at specific times may be useful. For example, an intense workout or excessive alcohol intake may require more electrolytes and B vitamins to combat the losses. Feeling run down or coming down with a cold may call for some zinc and extra vitamin C and D for immune support. A personalized vitamin brand can help to combat some of these myths and deliver targeted solutions.